Stopped
by dreamsxape
Summary: This is the story of what happened after The Flash was stopped in his tracks. After an accident forced Barry to hang up his suit, and going back to being just Barry, the nerdy forensic scientist who works for the CCPD. But now, he's faced with a whole new set of challenges. From his physical limitations, to mourning the loss of The Flash, he struggles to accept his new situation.
1. Chapter 1

Barry's eyes fluttered open, and he saw the familiar white room of the S.T.A.R. Labs infirmary. He could hear someone walking through the room, but he couldn't see who it was. What happened? What brought him here? Everything seemed to be in a fog. He couldn't remember anything. He couldn't feel anything, which probably meant he already healed. But his brain felt like it was floating in his head, like that time he was on morphine when he broke his arm in the tenth grade.

He tried to sit up, but a jolt of pain shot up his back and seemed to radiate through hos body, causing him to groan.

"Barry!" Caitlin's familiar voice called, and she rushed to his bedside. "You're awake."

He simply groaned in response, still trying to sit up, pain still running through him.

"Wait! Don't try to sit up. I'll lift the bed for you," she said, pressing the button on the side of the bed, putting him in an upright position. "How are you feeling?"

"Dizzy, kinda foggy" he mumbled. Now that he was upright he was starting to feel a little loopy. At least the pain stopped. So, if he didn't move, he wouldn't be in pain. Sweet.

"Sorry about that," she began, as she changed the fluid bag on his IV. "I made some alterations to a morphine compound, so that your system wouldn't flush it out so quickly. That's probably why you feel that way. Are you in any pain?"

Barry shook his head.

Caitlin bit her lip. He had no idea why he was here, did he? If he had any idea recollection he would be freaking out about what had happened. If he weren't stoned, even if he didn't remember, he would have at least asked questions about what landed him in the infirmary.

"Barry, do you remember what happened?" Caitlin was staring at him with worried eyes. Barry was too fogged up to even notice her concern.

"Nope," he said, shaking his head. The last thing he remembered was ordering coffee at Jitters with Iris before they had to work, but even that seemed fuzzy.

Caitlin took a deep breath and looked down at Barry, who was mesmerized by the monitor displaying his heartbeat. At least she finally got the morphine right, so that was one good thing that happened today. She stayed silent for a moment; this was the last moment Barry would know himself to be The Flash, and she wanted to give it to him.

"Barry," she said softly, trying to get his attention.

"Hmm?" he turned to look at her, his eyes gassy and still a little lost from all the drugs.

"Barry," she repeated, before continuing, "You were fighting a metahuman. He was stronger than anything we've ever encountered. And you were fighting him and… You… Uhh..." Caitlin lost her words. She took a deep breath, trying to recollect her thoughts. How was she supposed to tell him this? Why wasn't there an easy way to break his heart?

"I am so sorry, Barry. I did _everything_ I could," she whispered, looking down at the blanket on the bed. She couldn't get herself to tell him. She couldn't say it. She couldn't do this to him.

"What are you talking about, Cait?" he slurred, barely being able to comprehend a single word she was saying, let alone understand the full sentences. Damn this was strong stuff.

Caitlin took in another heavy breath, before walking around the bed to Barry's right side. Carefully, she lifted the blanket and folded it over, exposing his leg.

"Barry, I am _so_ sorry," she repeated, looking up at Barry, her eyes filling with tears as she waited for his reaction.

Barry suddenly felt completely sober. He still had no memory of what had landed him here, or what metahuman was responsible for all of this. It didn't matter though. It's not like he could go back and get him next time or anything like that. None of it mattered because he knew in that moment that he could never be The Flash again.

He knew because three quarters down his thigh, was a stump were his leg was supposed to be.

"Barry, please say something," Caitlin begged, after a long, brutal silence. But he was still silent. She could feel the weight of the tension in the room on her, feeling like it would crush her chest.

"Please leave," he said softly, his gaze still fixated on his leg.

"Barry…"

"Please… I need to be alone right now," he insisted, still refusing to look away.

"Do you want me to get Iris?" She just wanted him to talk to her.

"No… Please just leave," he asked again, beginning to choke on his words. Caitlin bit her lip, before hesitantly turning around and walking towards the door. When she reached the doorway, she stopped, and turned around. She opened her mouth to apologize one more time, but she knew it would do nothing. She just ruined Barry's life.


	2. Chapter 2

"Someone should go talk to him," Cisco said matter-of-factly. "I think you should do it," he told Caitlin, patting her on the back.

"Oh, no way! I'm not going in there!" she said sternly.

The two of them, along with Iris and Joe, were watching him through the window of the S.T.A.R. Labs infirmary. It had been an hour since Caitlin left him there, but he had barely moved an inch. He was still staring at the stump. Occasionally, he would run his fingers along the bandages, or move his other leg, but other than that he didn't move. He just stared in disbelief.

"Maybe we should give him some space," Caitlin suggested. She didn't want to go in there again, and it seemed like no one else wanted to venture in there either. No one responded to her, but no one was volunteering to go either, they all just stared at their feet, or the window.

"I'll go," Iris chimed in after a long silent. Everyone in the room looked up at her, almost shocked that anyone even offered to be the first talk to him. It was also the first words she spoke since she entered S.T.A.R. Labs and asked, "Is he okay?" Other than that, she was silent up until this very moment.

Iris had been mostly silent since she heard about the accident the night before. While Barry was in the hospital for his surgery (Caitlin made a few friends there after Barry had a few injuries that were beyond her scope of medical capabilities), Iris only spoke to ask the doctors questions. Even when her father tried to ask her she remained silent. When he got out of surgery at around 4:00 in the morning, IRIS stayed with him while he was transported to S.T.A.R. Labs, and she still stayed quiet. At S.T.A.R. Labs, she only spoke when her father told her to go home and rest for at least a few hours. She wanted to stay with Barry so he had a friend when he woke up. She knew he would need one now more than ever. Unfortunately, her father still made her go home with him, with Caitlin promising her that she'd call once Barry woke up.

Caitlin kept her promise, and Iris had been at S.T.A.R. Labs since she got the call, silent, watching her best friend's heart break in front of her.

"I'll go," she repeated, as she began walking towards the door. Every one just watched her.

Iris pushed the door open carefully. Barry looked up upon hearing the door opening.

"Iris," he said gently.

"Hey, Bear," she said, softly, walking up to his bedside.

"Iris," he said her name again, looking up at her, tears filling his eyes.

"I know," she whispered, taking his hand in hers. "I know, Barry, but it's going to be okay."

"How?" he croaked. Iris didn't know how to respond. Barry just lost the one thing that made him feel like he was worth anything: his ability to run. How exactly was it going to be okay?

"What am I going to do Iris?" he asked after she didn't respond. Tears were in her eyes now too.

"You're going to get better, first," she said, her tears beginning to fall. "You're going to get better, and then we'll figure it out from there, okay?"

"I'm sorry to interrupt," Caitlin said from the doorway, after Barry and Iris were silent for a few minutes. "It's uh… I have to change your bandages." She waited for Barry to respond before coming any closer to him, fairly certain he would kick her out. But she really did need to change his bandaged. She was supposed to half an hour ago, but she didn't want to completely overwhelm him

She was sure he didn't even want to see her right now. This _was_ all her fault. She was the doctor of the group. She should have looked for some other solution.

"Okay," Barry said quietly, almost inaudibly.

"Okay," Caitlin said to herself, as she walked over to the supply cabinet. She opened it and began collecting everything she needed in a metal bowl. When she was done, she walked over to Barry's bedside, and placed the bowl beside him on the bed.

She picked a pair of scissors up from the bowl, and began to carefully cut the gauze open that was wrapped around Barry's leg, until she could easily peal it off. She picked up a clean roll of gauze, and placed the dirty one in the bowl.

"The wound is almost healed," she observed, as she began wrapping fresh gauze around his leg. "It's good to know you still have speed healing." _Not that it matters_ , Caitlin finished in her head. She hoped small talk would get him to talk. She wanted to speak more than three words to him at a time, to talk him through all of this. But she was bad at small talk, and Barry wouldn't speak if he didn't want to. So she finished wrapping his leg in silence, and Barry and Iris watched on.

"You're all set," she mumbled, picking up the bowl. She immediately turned around and began walking towards the door. Barry clearly didn't want her in there. And to be honest, she wasn't sure how much she could handle being in there much longer.

"Caitlin, wait," Barry called after her. She turned around to face him, but not moving forward.

"Yeah, Barry?"

"What happened?"

Caitlin took a deep breath, and walked back to his bedside.

"Are you sure you're ready?" she asked for her sake more, not really his. She knew Barry would have to find out about the accident soon enough. She just didn't want to have to relive it. _She_ was the one who was with Barry in the operating room. Ultimately, it was _her_ decision to amputate. _She_ broke the news to him. She didn't want to live it again.

"I have to know," he assured her, looking up at her. It was the first time he had looked her in the eyes since she broke the news.

He was obviously scared, so Iris gave his hand a squeeze, reminding him that she was there for him; that everything was going to be okay.

Caitlin took a deep breath before she began talking. "Like I said, you there was a metahuman and um… I don't know al the details but…" she paused, trying to recollect her words.

"A wall collapsed on you while you were trying to fight him off," Iris chimed in, noticing how uncomfortable Caitlin was. Caitlin flashed her a small smile, as if to say "Thank you."

"By the time anyone got there, the building was destroyed," Caitlin continued. "By he time anyone found you, you were already almost completely healed, which was fine for most of your body. But your right leg… it was completely shattered. Your bones had healed into their own pieces and around chunks of concrete… there was just too much damage. We tried, we really did," she promised. "I'm _so_ sorry, Barry."

Caitlin held her breath, waiting for his expression to change, waiting for him to respond. She wanted him to say something to her. She wanted him to say he wasn't mad at her, or wasn't going to hold it against her. She needed to know he didn't hate her.

"Barry, please say something," she begged. Barry opened his mouth, as if to speak, but said nothing. He didn't know what to say. He didn't even know what he was feeling. He just felt empty. He was no longer The Flash. He had to go back to being Barry Allen, the forensic scientist who worked in a lab. He didn't even remember what it was like to just have a normal life. Was what he was going back to really normal though? At least before he had two legs. Now he was a cripple with one leg. He was going to be a pathetic, hopeless has-been hero.


	3. Chapter 3

Iris knocked lightly on the infirmary door as she entered. In one of her hands, she held a tray of coffee, and in the other was a bag from their favorite bakery. She placed the food on the bedside table, pushing last night's tray of untouched food out of the way.

"You didn't eat your dinner," she said.

"Not hungry."

"How did you sleep?" Barry just shrugged.

Everyone had hoped that Barry would be fine once he got some sleep and some space. Clearly, they were wrong. Iris wondered when her best friend would be fine. At this rate, it was clearly going to be a while.

"Well, I got up breakfast from Layla's. I was thinking that we could talk over coffee and pastries like we always do," she said hopefully. She knew he wouldn't want to talk immediately, but there was a reason Iris was the first person to visit him that morning: she wanted to be there for him the moment he was ready.

Barry just shrugged in response.

Iris let out a heavy, slightly frustrated sigh. Okay, so he wasn't ready talk about what happened, but he could at least _speak_ to her. Even a "hey how's it going?" would suffice at this point.

"Scoot over," she commanded.

"What?"

"You heard me, scoot!" she said again, before climbing on to the bed and squeezing herself next to him.

"What are you doing?" he asked, moving over to give her room on the small bed.

"Getting you to speak," she said, leaning over to grab the bag from the bedside table, "and eat." Barry opened his mouth to speak, but Iris immediately interrupted. "And before you try and fight me, know that I'm not leaving until you talk. I am your best friend, and I'm going to be here for you so hush, and eat your Danish," she said sternly, as she reached into the bag, and pulled out the pastry from the bag, handing it off to Barry.

"Thanks," he sighed, taking the Danish from her, then taking a small bite of it. He still didn't have much of an appetite, but he knew Iris wouldn't stop, so he would at least eat.

"You're welcome," she responded, even though she knew he didn't really care that much. "Alright, now talk."

"Iris," he said, with an eye roll.

"Barry, you woke up from surgery 24 hours ago, and you've barely said five words. I know this is awful, and I can only imagine how awful you are feeling right now, but you need to talk. At least to me."

Barry sighed, running his fingers through his hair.

"Please, Bar," she pleaded, "Just talk to me. At this point, no one exactly expects you to have a full heart-to-heart, but at least have a conversation. You can't isolate yourself… not at a time like this."

"I just… I just don't know what to say, alright? I mean, what am I supposed to say? 'Yay my leg is chopped off and now I can't do the one thing that makes me happy'? Please, Iris, tell me what you expect me to say about all of this?"

Iris sighed before speaking. "Honestly, Barry, I just want to know what's going on in your head. I want to be able to be there for you, and I can't do that if you don't talk to me."

Barry remained silent for a moment. "You really want to know what I'm thinking?"

"Yes!"

"Alright," he took in a deep breath, trying to figure out exactly what to say to her. "I don't… I don't know who I am anymore, really. When I became The Flash, I felt like I was exactly who I was supposed to be for the first time in my life, and now… I'm not The Flash." Barry was looking down at his hands, which were still holding the Danish, as he spoke. "I mean, I was doing something that mattered, something that I loved, and now it's just gone… If I'm not the Flash then what am I?"

"Barry, look at me," Iris said immediately after Barry finished speaking. Barry lazily looked up at her with his eyes, barely even lifting his head. Iris took his face in her hands so that she was looking him directly in the eyes.

"Listen to me, you were never a hero because you were fast, Barry. You were a hero because you are Barry Allen. Maybe you can't save people from burning buildings, or stop a tornado anymore, but you can still be a hero. You were one before you were struck by lightning, and you will be one now. You aren't The Flash, you're Barry Allen, and that means more to me, and anyone who walks through the door of S.T.A.R. Labs, than anything your speed can do. Do you understand me?"

"Yeah," was all Barry said. He knew she had the best of intentions, but he was just having so much trouble believing her words. Barry looked away from her, but Iris kept her hands on his face. She gently turned his head back to her.

"Listen, I know you don't believe me right now, but trust me when I tell you that you'll figure this out. And I'll be there for you every step of the way," she promised.

"Look, Iris, I know you're just trying to help, but I'm really not in the mood for a pep talk, okay? Can was just eat?"

"Fine," she said, defeated, dropping her hands helplessly.


	4. Chapter 4

Caitlin sat at one of the computers in S.T.A.R. Labs, looking at news stories from the day before. Most of them were about the building falling, and what had happened to The Flash, who was pulled from the rubble, unconscious. They would probably have to do some sort of press release once Barry was healed. Or when he was ready. If he was ever ready.

"You okay?"

Caitlin jumped when she heard Iris' voice.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," she said with a small smile.

"No, it's fine, I just didn't expect anyone to come in," she admitted, straightening up her posture.

"So," Iris said, sitting in the other chair at the desk, before continuing, "Are you okay?"

Caitlin sighed, propping her elbows on the tables, and resting her foreheads on her palms.

"He doesn't hate you, you know," Iris told her.

"He should."

"You did what you had to do, Caitlin. You know that, he knows that, we all know that."

"I know," Caitlin said, looking up at Iris. "I just can't help but feel like I should have tried harder."

"You tried as hard as you could. Again, you know that."

"I do."

"Then stop hating yourself. You saved his life."

"I know," Caitlin repeated. "I just wish he could look me in the eyes."

"Just give him some time. He's just struggling. But he's not holding it against you. He knows you did your best. He just doesn't like the circumstances. I know Barry better than anyone, and I know that he'll come around. He just needs a little time."

That afternoon, Iris sat down to write the update on The Flash her editor had requested earlier. Central City was begging for an update on their hero. As Caitlin had showed her earlier, media outlets were taking the liberty to jumping to their own conclusions. Many of them said that he died, or is in a coma, or paralyzed. No one had guessed he lost a leg. Not that she would write that in the article. Barry made it clear he didn't want her disclosing his injury. She didn't want to either. There was still a part of her that was in denial over this whole situation.

As Iris stared at the blank document, she found herself grateful that she was the go-to reporter for all things Flash. She usually didn't like it, because she didn't want The Flash to define her career, but today, she was glad she could protect her best friend. She could be the voice Barry wanted out there. And it gave her an excuse to ask how he was doing.

Many days, she hated being the go-to reporter for all things Flash. She didn't want that to be what defined her career, but she was glad she could write this article. She was glad that she could be the one to set the record straight, and to be Barry's voice. She knew what he'd want the people of Central City to know.

Her phone buzzed, and a text from her editor popped up on her screen.

"Please hurry with the article! People are asking for it!" Crap she really needed to get this written. She shut her eyes for a moment, taking in a deep breath before opening her eyes, and beginning to type away.

 _"_ _As everyone has heard already, Central City's favorite hero was captured under a crumbling building Tuesday night. After several hours, The Scarlet Speedster was found by emergency responders, and was promptly rushed to the Central City hospital, where he remained overnight to monitor his injuries."_ Maybe that was stretching the truth a little. They _were_ monitoring him. It was just in an operating room, and the monitoring was a 15-hour surgery that involved rebreaking and setting half his bones and cutting his leg off. That was close enough, right? _"In the morning, he was transferred to a private facility, where he remains monitored as he recovers._

 _"_ _Now to answer the question everyone in Central City is dying to have answered: What actually happened to The Flash? Well, even me, The Flash's go-to reporter, could not get all of the details. He is choosing to keep much of the details private. I was, however, able to get enough information to break our hearts. Due to the severity of his injuries, The Flash is being forced to hang up his suit while he recovers. Doctors informed me that they are unsure of how long this will take._

 _"_ _However heartbreaking this news is, remember this while we away the return of our Scarlet Speedster: There is a man behind that mask, and he will still walk among us. He will continue to protect you everyday, no matter what. He may not be able to use his speed just yet, but he is still the hero we all love, and he will act as such. He will still care for and protect every person in Central City as if he were still wearing the suit. Remember that you still have a hero, even if he is no longer wearing a mask."_

It may have been short, but it was enough to post online. She would add more to it as "updates" came in about The Flash's condition, but for now, she that was all she could handle. Her heart was aching for Barry.


	5. Chapter 5

"Okay, Barry, just take it easy, son," Joe assured Barry, as he struggled to lift himself up with crutches. Up until this point, they were using a wheeling desk chair to get Barry around S.T.A.R. Labs, which wasn't ideal, but it was all they could do until they could get their hands on a wheel chair. But now that they had crutches, Barry needed to start standing and trying to balance on his own, even start taking a few steps. It was proving to be much harder than anticipated.

The second he stood up, Barry almost fell over. He knew it would be difficult to adjust to balance on one leg, but he completely forgot about the fact that his weight distribution would be different. Luckily, Joe and Caitlin were there to catch him before he could hit the floor.

"Shit," he muttered, as he struggled to regain his balance.

"Careful, Barry," Caitlin warned, as she helped lift him into a standing position. Barry carefully adjusted the crutches under his arms, still struggling to balance.

"How does it feel?" Joe asked, still bracing for Barry to fall again.

 _Like I don't have a leg_ he wanted to say, but instead he just went "Fine."

"Trust me, Barry, you'll adjust to it," Caitlin assured him. "It'll only get easier from here." For some reason, Barry had trouble believing her.

They didn't do much with the crutches after that. He did a few laps around the room, but that was it. It was tiring, and weird. According to Caitlin, he did a lot better than expected, so he shouldn't worry, but Barry still did. It was slow, and dragging and annoying. Maybe he would eventually learn to speed crutch, since he still had his speed. But clearly that day was not today. He needed to make it across the room first.

Eventually, after Barry had laid back in bed, Caitlin left, leaving him and Joe behind.

"So tell me, how are you really feeling?" Joe asked, in his "take no crap" voice.

"Like shit. But hey, now at least I don't need help every time I need to pee," he said with an eye roll.

"That's fair."

"You're not going to tell me that it'll all get better?" Barry joked, because that's all he was hearing all day.

"You don't want to hear that. You want to say 'This sucks,' and for someone to say 'yeah, it really does' back, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, this really does suck," Joe said, laughing lightly.

"Thank you," Barry said, laughing for the first time since he woke up.

"Cisco, what on Earth are you doing in here?" Caitlin cried.

"Working," he responded, refusing to look up from his workbench, that was currently covered in bits and pieces of metal and god knows what else.

"Well, maybe you should take a break and see Barry? It's been three days since his surgery, and you've barely seen him. He could use you right now, you know/"

"I can't, I'm busy," he said, still tinkering.

"Busy with what exactly?" Caitlin inquired, unsure if she actually wanted to know what Cisco had set his mind to.

"I'm making a leg for Barry."

"A leg?"

"Yes. There was an Olympic athlete a while back who used a carbon-fiber-enforced polymer based prosthetic. It was specifically designed for running," he began, then finally turned around. "I figured, I could take that technology, and adjust it to work with Barry's speed, then BAM! He can run again!"

Caitlin sighed. He knew he was just helping Barry in the only way he knew how, but Barry needed to accept the fact he couldn't run. And he couldn't do that if Cisco didn't accept it either.

"Those polymers can't handle the speeds that Barry runs."

"Caitlin, do you not know me at all? I can work on that!" he insisted, turning back to his work.

"Cisco, please stop this. Just go see Barry."

"I will, once I finish this."

"You know this is going to take a long time. Please just go talk to him. You're one of his best friends. He needs you right now."

"Like I said, I'll go when I finish," he said again, growing frustrated.

"Cisco, please."

"Caitlin!" he barked. "I will go when I'm finished!"

Caitlin sighed heavily, before walking out. This was going to be hard on everyone. Not just Barry, clearly.


	6. Chapter 6

_Caitlin watched Dr. Gerlin's hands as they attempted to work around Barry's leg, sifting through cement chunks and other debris. It was a mess of muscle and bone, unlike anything anyone in that room had ever seen. Half of it was healed in an intangible way. The second Dr. Gerlin saw it, he knew he wouldn't be able to save it. With the amount of damage, and Barry healing faster than they could fix anything, there was really very little any of them could do. But he and Caitlin would try. They had to say they tried._

 _Dr. Gerlin let out a heavy sigh, handing his tools off to a nurse. Then, he looked up at Caitlin, giving her an apologetic look behind his surgical mask._

 _"_ _You can't save it, can you?" Caitlin asked, even though she knew the answer all along. Dr. Gerlin shook his head._

 _"_ _There's just too much damage… it's just… impossible," he said, remorsefully. "I think it's time to talk to the family."_

 _"_ _Okay," she said, before leaving the room._

 _The walk to the hospital waiting room was the longest she's ever had to make. She felt sick. They had held off on telling them anything until they were 100% certain. The last few hours must have been miserable for them._

 _When she arrived, she saw Joe, Iris, and Cisco, the typical crowd. Oliver Queen was also there. Someone must have called him. He and Barry_ were _friends after all. Barry would want to know if something happened to him._

 _"_ _Please tell me he's okay," Joe said, once Caitlin approached the group. Everyone stood up at once, crowding around her._

 _Caitlin paused to compose herself before responding, trying to find the right words._

 _"_ _Caitlin, what's going on?" Iris inquired._

 _Caitlin took another deep breath. "Dr. Gerlin has to amputate his right leg above the knee." The words tasted bitter on her tongue, and they struggled to get out of her throat. They weren't meant to be said._

 _"_ _No, that can't be," Iris was the first to speak after a short silence. "Shouldn't his leg just speed heal back into place?"_

 _"_ _It's not that simple. He leg was crushed. By the time we got to him, his bone fragments were already healing separately, and there's no way to fuse them back together. I mean, there was a chunk of concrete that his bone_ healed _around. There's just no way to fix that." Her heard sank further with every word._

 _"_ _But… he's The Flash," Cisco stated, "he needs his leg."_

 _"_ _I know," Caitlin said, looking down at her feet. "I know."_

The memory replayed in Caitlin's head over and over again. Like a broken record. She couldn't get the image of their faces out of her head. Their heartbreak, their worry, all written on their faces. She couldn't stop remembering it. She wanted it so desperately to stop.

"A little birdie told me that I'm going to have to take a few extra trips to save Central City?" Barry turned to see Oliver Queen standing in the doorway with a bouquet of flowers in his hand.

"Flowers? Aww I'm flattered. But you're not really my type," Barry joked.

"Funny," he said, rolling his eyes, "They're from Felicity. She wanted me to profusely apologize for not being able to make it today, but she'll stop by tomorrow."

"Well, tell her I said thank you," Barry said, still laughing at his own joke.

"How you feeling?" Oliver asked, walking up to the bed, and placing the flowers on the bedside table.

"I've seen better days," he said with a shrug, "But, on the plus side, I finally have a scar that can compete with yours."

"Pssh, you wish Allen."

"You're just glad you don't have anymore competition," Barry retorted sarcastically.

"Oliver!" Iris exclaimed, walking into the room, not giving Oliver a change to respond to Barry's snide remark.

"Hey, Iris! No surprise seeing you here," Oliver said, shooting Barry a smirk.

"She hasn't left my side yet," Barry said, smiling fondly.

"You're hilarious if you think I will," she stated, as she gave Oliver a "hello" hug. "How have you been?"

"Pretty good. Nothing special."

"How's the engagement going? Anything new on the wedding planning front?" Iris inquired, desperate to know all the details.

"It's going well. Though I have to admit, I know absolutely nothing about the wedding planning. Felicity and my sister are working through all of that," Oliver said with a laugh. "Quite frankly, if she's happy, that's all that matters to me."

"Well," Barry began, "I'm happy for you. You really do deserve it, man."

The three continued to talk in the room for who knows how long, catching up on each other's lives, and laughing their asses off. And for the first time in the week since the accident, Barry felt okay.


	7. Chapter 7

After another few days in the S.T.A.R. Labs infirmary, Barry was finally able to go home. Iris decided to work from home for the time being so that she could take care of Barry. Joe tried to convince Iris that he takes off instead, but she wouldn't budge. She told him that someone needed to be protecting the city while The Flash was out of commission. Barry tried to convince Iris that he didn't need taking care of, but she obviously wasn't going to listen.

Since Barry couldn't go back to work yet, most of his days were being spent in bed. He would occasionally get up to do physical therapy, or try get better adjusted on the crutches, but that was about it. Though Barry hated it, Iris was catering to his every need. She would stay with him throughout the whole day, in case he needed anything. It wasn't that he didn't like spending time with her, he just couldn't help but feel like he was imposing on her, and he made that very clear. Iris also made it very clear that she wasn't leaving his side, and that she enjoyed spending the time with him, and he couldn't really protest to that. Though he may have still hated the circumstances, he liked spending his days with Iris, watching Netflix, or helping her with her latest article. It was like old times. Before the two of them got busy with life. It was almost like they were catching up on their friendship. And sometimes that went into the wee hours of the night, and they would fall asleep watching some crappy old movie, just like they did last night.

"Morning," Barry said, looking over from his phone, already awake when Iris arose.

"Morning," she said lazily. "How long have you been up?"

"Like, fifteen minutes."

"Did you sleep alright?" she asked him, sitting up in the bed.

"Meh," he said with a shrug.

"How's the leg?" she asked, knowing that was causing his sleeping troubles, per usual.

"It's alright. The phantom pains are messing me up."

"I'm sorry," she said, giving him an apologetic look. "How long are those supposed to last for?"

"It varies from person to person. They'll stop when they stop, according to the internet," he explained with a dry laugh.

"Did you do your stretches yet?" Iris inquired. Barry was supposed to stretch every morning and "massage" his stump to prevent scar tissue building up, which he really hated doing. Massaging his leg was probably his least favorite part of his whole process.

"I stretched. I haven't done the massage yet," he said, putting a fake French accent on the work "massage." Iris rolled her eyes. She would get him to do it later.

"Do you want coffee?" she asked.

"Oooh yes please! How about this, you put the coffee on, and I'll meet you downstairs in five?"

"Barry, you know I can bring you coffee and breakfast upstairs, right?"

"Yeah, but I can make it down on my own. And plus, I need practice on the stairs."

"Are you sure, you just woke up?" Iris asked, unsure if she should let him.

"Iris, I'm literally bound to this bed, I want to get up and move around a little. Let me have a cup of coffee down stairs."

"Fine," Iris said rolling her eyes, "But please be careful, I don't want you getting hurt."

"I'll be fine, I promise."

He wasn't fine. He almost wiped out on the stairs.

After breakfast, the two of them went back to Barry's room, and sat in his bed. They put on some British sitcom on Netflix, and let it play as background noise.

"Now, before you forget, you have to massage your leg," Iris reminded him. Barry made a face in response. "I know it's not comfortable, but you have to do it. I'll even do it for you."

"Ew, don't do it for me."

"Why not?"

"Because it's gross. And plus, I'm not going to make you do something just becase I don't want to do it."

"I really don't mind. And plus, will you do it yourself?" Barry didn't respond. "Exactly."

"But it's so uncomfortable," he whined.

"Get over it," Iris said, rolling her eyes. Before Barry could respond, she repositioned herself so that she was kneeling in front of him.

"Iris, don't," he insisted.

"Stop it. I'm doing this," she told him, as she moved the blanket out of the way, exposing his leg. She slowly began massaging his leg with her fingers. Barry almost immediately winced.

"You're hands are so cold!"

"Get over it," she repeated, smirking up at him, as she continued to work her hands on his skin. She could tell by the look on his face that he found this uncomfortable, but she couldn't seem to look away. She just watched his face as her hands massaged his leg. Eventually, his face softened, and he was looking at her with a gentle smile on his face. She hadn't seen him smile at her in so long. It was nice to finally see it.

When she was done, she slowly removed her hands from his leg, and she was about to return to her position on the bed next to him, but he grabbed her hands, stopping her.

"Iris," he said softly.

"Hmm?"

"Thank you… for everything you've done over the last few weeks for me," he said genuinely.

"Of course, Bear."

"It really does mean a lot to me. I don't know what I would have done without you through all of this. I know I haven't been the easiest of people to be around lately, so thank you. Seriously."

Iris smiled, bringing her hand to his cheek. "You really don't need to thank me, okay? You know I'd do anything for you."

"I know," he said, taking her hand off his cheek, and holding it in his lap. "But I'm still grateful for it."

"Aww, come here," she said, opening her arms for a hug. They leaned into each other for an embrace.

"I love you, Iris," he whispered, hopefully she didn't catch his double meaning.

"I love you too, Bear," she said back, hoping he didn't catch her double meaning.


End file.
